Three women who have served in public office are the frontrunners in a six-candidate Democratic race to represent our city in Congress. That is heartening and something we should celebrate as a community.

The El Paso Times Editorial Board believes one of those candidates, former County Judge Veronica Escobar, is the best choice for the seat.

Before Escobar was elected county judge, the county had endured years of corruption that led to the arrests and guilty pleas of three of her predecessors.

Escobar led an overhaul of governance policies during her tenure. Under her watch, and with the addition of several new commissioners, county government not only stabilized, but regained the trust of the community.

Escobar also has been a strong voice for El Paso and the border at the state and national level.

U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer speaks to the El Paso Times Advisory Board during his visit to El Paso Thursday. Hoyer came to town to campaign for Veronica Escobar, left, candidate for U.S. Representative, 16th Congressional District. (Photo: RUDY GUTIERREZ / EL PASO TIMES)

In a discussion with the Times’ editorial board, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, who is the second highest ranking Democrat in Congress, called Escobar “one of the best candidates we have in this country.” He also cited the support she has received from young party leaders, including U.S. Reps. Beto O’Rourke, who the candidates are vying to replace, and Joaquin Castro.

"Both of them came to me and advised our party leadership that Veronica is clearly who would make an extraordinary addition to the Democratic Caucus but, more importantly, to the debate about where our country is going and our values and what we want to prioritize," Hoyer said.

Dori Fenenbock, a former El Paso Independent School District board president who worked to pass the district’s $668.7 million bond, but resigned to run for Congress before the difficult work of implementing the bond began, has spent more time running a negative campaign against Escobar than she has defining herself as a candidate.

Asked about whether she believed this approach had allowed voters to get to know her, Fenenbock pointed to a pre-runoff strategy and a runoff strategy, saying “right now, she has name ID. I don’t and I don’t have time. I don’t have the forum. I don’t have the ability to really work on who Dori is.”

Campaigns always have some back and forth between candidates. It is perfectly fine for candidates to point out areas where they believe their opponents have failed, but in her interview with the editorial board and in her campaign ads, Fenenbock has made allegations about “corruption” related to Escobar that she has been unable to substantiate.

Allegations without factual evidence erode trust in the process and lead to voter cynicism.

Former state Rep. Norma Chávez, also a leading candidate in the race, said she has grown from the time when she had public battles with political rivals and other El Paso politicians. We hope this is the case.

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Norma Chávez was a candidate for the 16th Congressional District of Texas seat.(Photo: RUDY GUTIERREZ/EL PASO TIMES FILE)

During her time in the Legislature, Chávez was effective at reaching across the aisle to pass legislation but struggled to get along with some members of her own delegation and, in one race for House District 76, attacked her opponent’s sexual orientation. This is not the type of behavior we want to see from our next representative in Congress.